Commentary
Less Than Fair Play: Southeastern Conference Will STILL Limit Real-Time Bloggers
- by Wendy Davis , Staff Writer @wendyndavis, August 26, 2009
As for fans or other ticket holders, the SEC now says that "personal messages and updates of scores or other brief descriptions" of games are okay, but that "real-time descriptions" aren't. That line appears impossibly blurry to draw, much less enforce. But fans who cross it, even if inadvertently, appear to risk landing in court. Also, the SEC now says that fans who take photos can post them to Flickr or other sites, but can't sell them.
Additionally, the organization is attempting to limit professional news organizations from reporting online about the games. The group has asked media outlets to agree to a host of restrictive terms; among others, the SEC wants media companies to refrain from blogging during games, and to limit their use of photos and video online.
So far, Gannett and the Associated Press have refused to agree to the conditions, according to Editor & Publisher.
Clearly, the SEC clearly believes it has money at stake. Last year, the conference signed deals with CBS and ESPN, according to The New York Times.
But private agreements can't prevent media companies or private citizens from reporting on the news -- and there's no serious question that sporting events are newsworthy.
Besides, is there any reason to think that an AP reporter's blog of a game would somehow detract from another news organization's blog? If anything, more commentators competing with each other for eyeballs should result in better quality coverage all-around. And for fans who can't get enough sports, the more real-time commentary the better.
Wendy Davis is a Senior Writer at MediaPost. You can reach Wendy at wdavis@mediapost.com
We just covered this controversy on Upshot's agency blog (http://tinyurl.com/lxtuj8), arguing a point that echoes your conclusion: this ruling shows a startling lack of comprehension about HOW fans consume sports today.
In contrast, our post showed how Penn State Football is succeeding by embracing social media. PSU has provided their fans with a central hub for sharing their images, videos, etc., and the submissions so far are fantastic.
Again, the article can be accessed here: http://tinyurl.com/lxtuj8. We welcome any comments or feedback!
-Brian Asner
UPSHOT
http://theawesomeblog.net/
I am tempted to pick an SEC game this fall, whichever one I get on TV, and Tweet and blog every single play. The resulting court case would be a great study on how attempted over-control of media backfires. Anyone want to pledge to cover my legal fees?
I also have to figure if it's worth my time considering the SEC thinks it's bigger than its sports. This is how the Indy Racing League virtually ruined open-wheel racing in North America.
As empowering as the web is and in many positive ways, it continues to pose real challenges, opportunities and pitfalls for many intellectual property owners. Witness the recent history in the music category.
Sports leagues have long licensed the rights to radio and TV stations to transmit descriptions, pictures, audio, video, etc. from the games. And, leagues have been doing the same with live game data such as down and distance for nearly 15 years. Yes, it's been a money-making enterprise but also one that has allowed fans outside the stadium and at home to enjoy the games - and usually for free - on TV or radio or their PC, and in real quality applications produced by real content and programming companies.
Now technology allows any fan in a stadium - as well as press outlets - to be a broadcaster of sorts.
There's a balancing point here and one that likely benefits all parties. But I'm going to weigh in on the side of the rightsholders - they've invested a lot of time and money and effort to produce a product and put it on the field of play. They do own the rights to the expression of the game.
Just because you have a ticket to a seat in the stadium does not mean you have the right to tell everyone about it every play of the game.